Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) says it is overwhelmed with the increase in electricity faults largely induced by stormy weather, especially in the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe.
Escom said the faults are arising from the impact of stormy rains that have damaged its transmission infrastructure.
The admission comes amid consumer complaints on social media about delays by the power utility to rectify faults which have led to blackouts and low voltage in various areas.
In a statement yesterday, Escom apologised for prolonged power supply interruptions and said safety is one of the factors contributing to the delay to respond to faults as its staff cannot work in wet conditions.
Reads the statement: “Although our resources have been stretched by the drastic increase in the number of reported faults, we have dispatched additional manpower from the districts to these cities to speed up fault clearing.”
Speaking in an interview, Escom chief public relations officer Kitty Chingota said reported faults in Blantyre and Lilongwe have increased fivefold on average compared to the dry season.
She said Escom has planned comprehensive maintenance works through its disaster preparedness plan.
B u t C o n s u m e r s Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito in a separate interview yesterday said Escom should have made adequate preparations for the rainy season by engaging more personnel and mobilising resources such as vehicles, poles and transformers.
Escom chief operating officer Maxwell Mulimakwenda is on record as having said in September this year that the utility had only completed 30 percent of necessary maintenance on its machinery due to lack of adequate resources.
Source: The nation-Macmillan Mhone-staff reporter-28 November 2024